Crown Roast of Pork with Apple-Rye Stuffing

From '500 Treasured Country Recipes' From Martha Storey & Friends/Storey Books

Deck the halls and bring out the figgy pudding. Christmas lights up the dark of the year with parties, presents, and all sorts of rich goodies to eat. Family comes from afar to be together -- the cracking of nuts, stringing of popcorn, and toasting with eggnog and wassail punctuate the laughter, talk, good times. And the little ones love to set out milk and cookies for Santa.

Christmas Dinner:

INTERACTIVE Click here to see how to make this stuffing recipe     ALSO Roast Turkey with Farmhouse Stuffing   Click here to return to the Holiday special

On Christmas Day, our house brims over with family, friends, children and magical gifts. We enjoy sitting down to a big dinner together, spending thoughtful time with those we love. Dinner needs to be simple to prepare but most festive. I believe that a crown roast of pork fits these criteria perfectly. The butcher does most of the work in preparing it, and I make the stuffing in advance. The presentation is sensational, the taste is fabulous, and the fuss is minimal.

Roast

1. Preheat oven to 450° F. Using the tip of a sharp knife, make small cuts in the sides of the roast and insert garlic slices. Rub the roast all over with the rosemary sprig, then salt and pepper it to taste. Cover the bones with foil or protective papers.

2. Place the pork on a rack in a large roasting pan and put it into the oven. Immediately reduce the oven temperature to 350° F. Roast until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the meat registers 160° F, about 20 minutes per pound.

3. In the meantime, melt butter in a large skillet. Saute onion and apples together until soft but not browned. In a large bowl, combine the onion-apple mixture, bread, rosemary, sage, cider, pecans, and raisins, tossing lightly.

4. To stuff the roast, remove the pork from the oven about 1 hour before it is fully cooked. Spoon the stuffing into the center of the crown -- return the roast to the oven to finish cooking.

Yield: 10-12 servings